I recently spent time on Oahu with my family to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. My mom was raised in Hawaii, and my parents met there, so this was a return to where it all started. It was a fun family trip. My brother and sister-in-law came along, and it was my wife's first time in Hawaii. My two-year-old nephew was with us, trying to do the shaka and say "aloha." Super cute.
She and I went to the Big Island of Hawaii ourselves after spending time on Oahu with everyone. We flew into Hilo and flew out of Kona, so we got to see a lot of the island in between. To plan a lot of the trip, I leaned on travel recommendations from my friend Nick's blog.
Beaches and Waterfalls
A couple of the parks Nick wrote about were Carl Smith Park and Richardson Beach Park. Richardson is known for its turtles, but it was Memorial Day and too crowded to see them. From there we went to Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots, and we hiked out to Akaka Falls, which was a nice easy hike.
We also drove to Black Sand Beach and visited Pu'u Oana National Park, which was very cool. There was always something else to go see.
Hawaiian Style Cafe
All that exploring worked up an appetite, and we ate well between the sights. One of the meals that stuck with me was at Hawaiian Style Cafe, right next to the Big Island Candy Factory.
I ordered something I remember my grandma making. They called it luau stew, she would have said laulau. Laulau is taro leaf with pork inside, and they serve it in broth over rice. It was good, and it tasted like home.
The Volcano
Other parts of the trip evoked the past too, and none more than the volcano, which was the piece I'd been looking forward to most. We drove Chain of Craters Road, which runs inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park down toward the ocean, past Devastation Trail and the new land the lava has built.
Back in 1991, my dad and I hiked out on the lava flow and watched the lava pour into the ocean. In a perfect world I would have loved to recreate that, but the lava isn't flowing into the ocean anymore. Almost all of the land out there was added since that trip, so the coastline has grown in the years since. We had a meal at The Rim restaurant, which looks out over the crater. Days after we left, the lava picked back up and was shooting geysers about 650 feet into the air. We didn't get to see that, but even the smoke coming out of the crater and red glow was pretty cool.
We stayed at the Volcano Village Lodge, and the place was insane with how cool it was. They even left a prepared breakfast, French toast, waiting in the fridge for us.
Family Milestones
Hawaii was the centerpiece, but this whole stretch of life has been full of family. My brother is turning 40, and my sister is having a party for him on the 4th of July. A little more than two years ago he had leukemia, and frankly we thought we were going to lose him. He's doing better and very healthy now.
I also flew out to Los Angeles for my nephew's high school graduation. His name is Hunter, and that was pretty awesome. Getting together for these moments means a lot. Some of that same family time is what I wrote about inan earlier update this spring.
In the Garden
Back home, the garden is moving into a new season too. I have my first pineapple, and if things go well there should be a ripe one every week through the season now. Nothing beats homegrown.
I think I'm going to cut out all of the berries. The thorns and growth made them too much upkeep. They took over the garden. I'm thinking about maybe growing coffee where they were, so I can harvest and roast my own beans. I've sharedhow the garden has held up through the seasons before, and this feels like the next experiment.
Conclusion
Between Hawaii, the family milestones, and whatever the garden turns into next, this whole stretch has reminded me to actually go and do things. Get out and see these places because they're amazing. Life's too short to not do this kind of stuff.
Check back soon for more updates on what is growing in the garden and what is next for the family.
